Since the 1930s, this tiny stand â€” located in the heart of historic L.A. â€” has been famous for its rolled, fried taquitos, covered in avocado sauce. Arellano thinks of the food stand as a Plymouth Rock of tacos, one place where the Mexican staple met a broader American audience.

Cielito Lindo’s taquitos quickly gained a following among Mexicans and non-Mexicans alike. “People all over Southern California started copying it,” Arellano says. “The exact same way to fry it, the avocado salsa, everything.”